Low-water alarm for steam boilers.



No. 675,298. Patented may 2a, mol.

s. H. RALPH.

LOW WATER ALARM FORSTEAM BOILERS.

(Application med Oct. 19, 1900.) (No Model.)

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Patented May 28, |90I. S. H. RALPH. LOW WATER ALARM FOR STEAM BOILERS.

(Application led Gel'- 19, 1900.)

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(No Model.)

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No. 675,298. i v Patented May 28, I90L S. H. RALPH.

LOW WATER ALARMFDIR STEAM BOILEBS.

(Apixictibn med occ. 19, 1900.1

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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ATENT STEPHEN H. RALPH, OF WOODVILLE, OHIO.

LOW-WATER ALARM FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,298, dated May 28, 1901.

Application tiled October 19, 1900. Serial No. 33,586. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may' concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN HL RALPH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Woodville, in the county of Sandusky and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Low-Water Alarms for Steam-Boilers and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to low-water alarms for steam-boilers.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which shall be simple of construction, durable in use, and comparatively inexpensive of production, which when the Water lowers to a certain position within the boiler one or more alarms will be sounded, one by the action of steam upon the whistle and one by the closing of the bell-circuit, which latter may be arranged at a point remote from the steam-boiler and its whistle, so that the su perintendent or ofcer of the factory may be notified of the condition of the water within the boiler, although his oice may be quite a distance therefrom and out of hearing distance from the whistle.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists in certain features of construction and combination of parts,which will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved low-water alarm, showing in full lines the parts set in position for operation when the water within the boiler has lowered below the desired level and showing in dotted' lines the position of the parts after they have been tripped. Fi'g.

2 is a top plan View, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view.

Referring to the drawings, 1 denotes the shell of the boiler, and 2 the casing of the lowwater alarm, which is connected to the shell of the boiler by a short pipe or nipple 3.

4 denotes a hollow angular arm which is connected to the upper end of the shell by a short pipe 5, and has projecting upwardly from its free end awhistle-pipe 6, supporting a whistle 7 of any well-known or approved construction.

8 denotes a short pipe connected to the hollow angular arm and provided at its upper end with a stuffing-box 9.

10 denotes a float supported in the casing and provided with a stem 11, projecting upwardly through the stuing-box.

12 denotes a bracket adj ustably secured to the whistle-pipe and provided with a lug 13, between which and the bracket is pivoted two levers 14, supporting at their free ends pendent weights 15. The pivoted levers are held in upright position by a pin 16, extending through an aperture 17 in the lug and through apertures 18 in the levers and an aperture 19 in the bracket. The outer end of this pin is connected to one of the levers 14, to which is connected by a chain 2O a weight 21.

22 denotes a bell-circuit, and 23 denotes a circuit-connector supported by a lug 24 within the path of movement of a finger 25, carried by one of the pivoted levers 14.

26 denotes a bell-crank lever pivoted to a lug 27, projecting upwardly from the hollow angular arm. One arm of this bell-crank lever is connected to the chain or cord 2O and the other end to a catch device 28, which consists of a plate 29, pivotally secured to said arm and having an aperture 30, through which projects the upper end of the doat stem. This catch device is held connected to the pin against accidental disengagement by means of a plate 31, having side flanges 32, which embrace the edges of the catch device, and is held in place upon a rod 33 by set-nuts 34. 35 denotes a rod connected to one end of a bell-crank lever 36, secured to the whistlepipe. The other end of the bell-crank lever is connected by a link 37 to the whistle-lever 38.

The mode of operation is as follows: AS- suming the water to be at a certain level in the boiler, or rather above a certain point, whichI have indicated in Fig. 1 at A, should in the generation of the steam the water lower below this point the float will,also lower, and the instant it withdraws its stem from engagement with the catch device the bellcrank lever is liberated and under the stress of the weight will swing downward, drawing upon the cord or chain. This action withdraws the pin from the levers 14, allowing them to drop, one coming in contact with the circuit-connector and completing the bellcircuit and sounding an alarm and the other IOO operating the whistle-lever to sound an alarm through the same.

Frein the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, operation, and advantages of my invention will be readily understood without requiring an extended explanation.

The device is exceedingly useful for the purposeV for which it is designed and may be placed upon the market at a comparatively small cost.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a low-water alarm, the combination with a easing provided with a iioat carrying a stem, of a pivoted bell-crank lever, a plate pivoted to said bell-crank lever and having an aperture through which the stem projects, an alarm device, and a connection between said lever and alarm device for sounding an alarm upon the withdrawal of the stern from the aperture of the plate, substantially 'as set forth.

2. In a low-water alarm, the combination with a casing, of a float supported by the easing and provided with a stem, a whistle, a pivotedbell-cranlr lever, a catch device connecting said bell-crank lever and stem, a pivoted Weighted lever connected to the operating-lever of the Whistle, a trip for holding the pivoted lever in upright position, and a connection between the bell-crank lever and the trip for releasing the pivoted lever upon the disengagement of the pin from said catch, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a casing and a float having a stem connected thereto, of a bell-crank lever, a catch device connecting said stem to the bell-crank lever, a whistle having an operating-lever, two Weighted levers, a trip for holding the weighted levers elevated, a connection between the trip and the bell-crank lever, a connection between one of the levers and the whistlelever, a bell-circuit, and a circuit-connector operating to close the circuit by the falling of one of said weighted levers, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in'presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN H. RALPH.

Vitnessesz M. T. SMITH, W. W. MeDoNALD. 

